Experience the best of Clifden

Clifden is a small town on the Atlantic coast of Connemara, County Galway, with a market square and brightly painted shopfronts. In 1919 the pilots Alcock and Brown landed a converted bomber in a bog near the town, completing the first non-stop flight across the Atlantic.

The Sky Road, a loop of coast road above cliffs and bays, begins near the town. The Twelve Bens, a range of quartzite peaks, rise to the north-east, and Kylemore Abbey, a Benedictine abbey beside a lake, lies in their foothills. Connemara National Park, with trails across bog and mountain, is nearby.

Connemara food is seafood, with oysters from the bays, smoked salmon and Connemara lamb. The region is the home of the Connemara pony, and the breed's annual show is held in Clifden each August. The town's pubs play traditional music on many summer nights. The Atlantic weather is mild but wet, with strong winds, and May to September gives the longest days and the best chance of dry weather.